Council to honor military service members

Friday

Aug 16, 2013 at 11:00 AM

Kevin Dickinson

The Veterans Leadership Council has started a new project to honor the veterans and service men and women of Siskiyou County.The program will hang banners upon the approximately 30 light poles on Fairlane Road between East Oberlin Road and Moonlit Oaks Avenue. Each banner will include the service member's name, branch of service and years served, in addition to the words "American Hero" written across the top."The city of Yreka just jumped on board," said Robert Ballesteros, commandant of the Marine Corps League for the Veterans Leadership Council. "We thought, 'What better way to represent and honor our veterans than to fly something like this?'"Ballesteros said the idea came from other towns such as Susanville, Calif., which flies banners featuring currently serving citizens. He noted he always appreciated towns that supported their veterans in such a fashion and would be more likely to stop there when passing through.He said council members wanted people to see that Siskiyou County is a place that honors its veterans – pointing out the banners will be viewable from the freeway. To go a step further, they decided to honor veterans and current members of the United States armed forces alike."We want community involvement," Ballesteros said, noting the program was not just for Yreka veterans but all of Siskiyou County.The banners will be flown on a continuous basis and rotated about every four months, though Ballesteros pointed out the hard-weathered winter months might require it to be played by ear.Each banner is 26-by-60 inches and has top-notch construction: heavy-duty vinyl, double-sided and double-stitched. They cost $75 each. Ballesteros said the price is at-cost, and the Veterans Leadership Council will not be making any profit on the project. He added the families and individuals who purchase a banner will own it, and they can be ceremoniously issued to them for special occasions such as Veterans Day and Memorial Day."I think it's a great thing to memorialize the veterans out there," said Abner Weed, veteran of the Marines and Army. He added he saw another benefit as getting people to recognize the area's veterans, including those they might not know had served."I would like to thank the Walmart Distribution Center in Red Bluff," Ballesteros said. The facility donated $3,000 worth of materials to build the brackets necessary to hold the banners.The project is looking for a person or company with a lift to help hang the banners, hopefully by Memorial Day.To purchase a banner, get information or asks questions about the project, contact Ballesteros at (530) 643-2851.